NFL 2025 playoffs: Teams, players, statistics, opponents and 2024 records on road to Super Bowl 59

nfl Thursday 23 January 2025 12:06, UK

The NFL playoffs continue this weekend as the final four teams battle for a spot at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, live on Sky Sports.

Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders seek to continue their fairy-tale run when they take on Saquon Barkley's Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, live from 8pm.

The back-to-back defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will then play in their seventh consecutive AFC Championship Game when they face Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills, with Andy Reid's side looking to become the first team in history to win the Super Bowl three times in a row.

Next game: AFC Championship Game vs Buffalo Bills

Andy Reid's Chiefs entered the playoffs as back-to-back defending champions amid their bid to become the first team to win three successive Super Bowls in NFL history. Having marched out to a 9-0 start, they were dealt their first defeat of the campaign in Week 11 as Josh Allen inspired the Buffalo Bills to a 30-21 victory over their fierce AFC rivals, after which the Chiefs went on to win six straight while clinching the No 1 seed against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.

As was the case last season, this is a rebranded Chiefs team operating with a different identity to the high-octane aerial offensive juggernaut that tormented teams behind Patrick Mahomes during his early years as starter. Steve Spagnuolo's defense has again played a defining roll, ranking second in scoring while spearheaded by star corner Trent McDuffie and veteran defensive tackle Chris Jones.

Three-time Super Bowl MVP Mahomes has produced the least prolific season of his NFL career as pilot to an offense ranked down in 16th in total yards, 14th in passing, 22nd in rushing, 15th in scoring and ninth in EPA/play. The Chiefs and their stuttering attack had been dealt an early-season blow when wide receiver Rashee Rice was ruled out for the year through injury after four games having already seen offseason addition Hollywood Brown sidelined, placing an added emphasis on rookie receiver Xavier Worthy. It would later prompt Kansas City to trade for three-time First-Team All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins as support for tight end Travis Kelce, who led the team in receiving yards despite posting career-low numbers.

Injury to starting running back Isiah Pacheco meanwhile paved the way for the return of Kareem Hunt, who would play a starring role behind one of the league's top interior rushing schemes, led by three Pro Bowlers in Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. Pacheco, Brown and defensive end Charles Omenihu have since returned in time to hand the Chiefs a boost in the playoffs. The story of the Chiefs' season, though, has tight finishes, with 11 of their wins this year coming by one score.

Kelce posted 117 receiving yards while George Karlaftis accounted for three of Kansas City's eight sacks on CJ Stroud as the Chiefs beat the Texans 23-14 in their Divisional Round clash last weekend following their first-round bye.

Next game: AFC Championship Game @ Kansas City Chiefs

Questions had loomed for the Buffalo Bills entering the new season as you wondered whether their Super Bowl window might be narrowing on the back of three straight Divisional Round exits and an AFC Championship defeat in 2020, the offseason departure of Stefon Diggs leaving a mix of youthful and unproven weapons at the disposal of Allen.

That was until their star quarterback reminded the league that the Bills will always remainder contenders so long as he is still under center, reeling off another MVP-calibre campaign while becoming the first player in NFL history to record five straight 40-touchdown seasons after producing 18 scores to just one turnover in December alone.

Khalil Shakir emerged as his most favoured target with support from rookie receiver Keon Coleman, while Amari Cooper arrived from the Cleveland Browns as welcome veteran help ahead of the trade deadline. James Cook was also instrumental to Joe Brady's offense with 1,267 yards and 18 touchdowns from scrimmage during the regular season.

Buffalo opened the year 3-0 before suffering a heavy 35-10 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens and a 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans, sparking a seven-game winning streak to take control of the AFC East until they were stunned 44-42 in a thriller against the Los Angeles Rams. A week later they out-scored the Detroit Lions 48-42 to underline their Super Bowl credentials as one of 12 teams yet to lift the Lombardi Trophy.

Allen went 20 of 26 for 272 yards and two touchdowns while Cook rushed for 120 yards and a score as the Bills cruised to a 31-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card round. Sean McDermott's side followed it up by eliminating Lamar Jackson and the Ravens during a 27-25 Divisional Round victory, with Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews dropping a simple two-point conversion to tie the game down the stretch. Buffalo posted fewer offensive yards than their opponents, with Baltimore's three turnovers proving defining on the day.

Next game: NFC Championship Game vs Washington Commanders

The Eagles emerged as one of the hottest teams in the NFL over the second half of the season with a 10-game winning streak that saw them topple the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams and Ravens across three straight weeks in November and December. Their run then came to an end in a 36-33 loss to the Jayden Daniels-inspired Commanders as Philly lost starting quarterback Jalen Hurts to a concussion that would also keep him out in Week 17 as the Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys to clinch the NFC East title.

Saquon Barkley has been central to the success of Nick Sirianni's side following the running back's arrival in free agency on the back of six seasons with the New York Giants. The former No 2 overall pick became just the ninth player to pass 2,000 rushing yards in a season having moved within 101 of beating Erick Dickerson's all-time single-season record, his impact coming from behind what remains one of the league's most potent offensive lines including center Cam Jurgens as what appears a perfect long-term successor to Jason Kelce.

He starred yet again with 119 rushing yards in Philadelphia's 22-10 Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers, during which quarterback Jordan Love was intercepted three times, before storming to 205 rushing yards - including touchdown runs of 62 and 78 yards - to lead the Eagles to a 28-22 victory over the Rams in the Divisional Round.

Barkley's influence has coincided with Hurts finishing with a career-high completion percentage and passer rating while throwing 18 touchdowns to five picks - a tandem AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith feasting yet again - in addition to 630 rushing yards and 14 scores. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles boast the NFL's top-ranked defense in yards and passing as well as finishing second in scoring, linebacker Zack Baun asserting himself as a Defensive Player of the Year contender, defensive tackle Jalen Carter continuing his rise among the NFL's blue-chip players and Quinyon Mitchell ascending as one of the most gifted young corners in the league.

The Eagles were beaten by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round last season, having come up shy in a 38-35 defeat to the Chiefs at Super Bowl LVII the prior year.

Next game: NFC Championship Game @ Philadelphia Eagles

The standout story of the season in Washington has been a scintillating rookie year for quarterback Jayden Daniels, who took the reins on a new era for the Commanders as the No 2 overall pick at the Draft. Daniels has fast-tracked Dan Quinn's side into surprise contention as the string-puller to a Kliff Kingsbury offense that has helped repair the former Arizona Cardinals head coach's reputation in the NFL. Daniels completed 331 of 480 passes for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns to nine interceptions in the regular season, while carrying the ball 148 times for 891 yards and six scores, in turn setting a new NFL record for single-season rushing yards by a rookie quarterback.

Daniels' early impact even thrust him into MVP contention as Washington opened their year 7-2, before Quinn's team were pegged back by a three-game skid including defeats to the Cowboys and Eagles. They followed up with four straight wins to secure a Wild Card spot, their first since 2020 and just their second playoff berth since 2015. It also notably marked their first 12-win campaign since 1991, having reached the playoffs just six times in 24 years under former owner Dan Snyder, who sold the franchise in 2023.

Brian Robinson Jr has starred alongside Daniels as part of the league's No 3-ranked rushing offense, carrying the ball 187 times for 799 yards and eight touchdowns, while Terry McLaurin led Washington through the air with 82 catches for 1,096 and 13 touchdowns ahead of Zach Ertz's 66 receptions for 654 and seven scores. All-action linebacker Frankie Luvu has meanwhile been a cruel Pro Bowl snub after managing 99 tackles, eight sacks, 12 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Washington booked their spot in the Divisional Round with a 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thanks to Zane Gonzalez's game-winning field goal. In one of the surprise results of the season, they then stunned the Detroit Lions 45-31 to knock out one of the Super Bowl frontrunners after intercepting Jared Goff three times.

The Eagles host the Commanders in the NFC Championship Game at 8pm live on Sky Sports NFL this Sunday, followed by the Bills against the Chiefs at Arrowhead from 11.30pm, the winners of both advancing to Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9.

It will be the 11th time the Super Bowl has been hosted in New Orleans, the first time since 2013, and the eighth game to be held at the Caesars Superdome.

Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar will headline the Super Bowl half-time show.